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Store hits the delete key on warranty for laptop

Within months, the battery cover had become detached, the left mouse button was unresponsive and the LCD screen was dimming.

Steven Ferry tried to take the Sony laptop computer back to Circuit City, where the state's Bureau of Blind Services had purchased it for his use. The store wouldn't fix it.

Although Ferry had an extended warranty purchased through Circuit City, neither the store nor the warranty company would honor it.

"They decided even without looking at it that [the damage] was accidental and they wouldn't cover it," said Ferry, 20, a sophomore at the Moody Bible Institute.

Ferry, who is legally blind, said he needs the computer to help him with schoolwork. After trying since January 2005 to get Circuit City to fix the laptop, Ferry wrote to What's Your Problem.

"I'm pretty darn frustrated," he said. "The most annoying thing about it is having a contract that Circuit City refuses to acknowledge."

Even after the Problem Solver called Circuit City officials, the mega-electronics chain held firm. The damage, they said, was accidental, and they would not repair it.

Circuit City spokeswoman Amanda Tate acknowledged that her company's customer service representatives did not actually look at Ferry's computer, but said they could tell from conversations with Ferry that the damage was not covered by the warranty.

Tate said that the broken keys and the detached battery panel "are not considered normal wear and tear" and that the company could do nothing for Ferry.

When the Problem Solver called the state's Bureau of Blind Services, officials there said immediately that they would give Ferry a loaner computer. They plan to replace that with a new laptop within weeks.

"When our office became aware of this, they began plans to get him a new unit," said Tom Green, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees the Bureau of Blind Services.

Ferry, of Elmhurst, received the computer from the state agency in the summer of 2004. The agency provides computers for blind people who meet qualifications and need them for school or job training.

Regina Cook-Glanton, the agency's regional supervisor, said the computers are owned by the agency, but the residents who use them are responsible for maintenance. Ferry's Sony Vaio and a CityAdvantage protection plan were purchased by the agency at a Circuit City in Crystal Lake.

Ferry's laptop included a powerful processor that allows him to run screen enhancement programs, enabling him to see the display better. It also allows him to make the text larger without distorting it.

Ferry said he's disappointed that Circuit City won't fix his computer.

"I think Best Buy just got my business," he said. "It's pretty pathetic on their part."

But Ferry is pleased with the Bureau of Blind Services' response. "I'm glad to have them on my side," he said.

The state's Bureau of Blind Services, which bought it for Ferry, is buying him a new one.

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